UPDATE — 1/29, 11:07 a.m. ET: The Bucs have completed an internal interview with pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard. Pewter Report previously reported Tuesday afternoon that he would be the first in-house candidate to interview for the team’s vacant offensive coordinator job.

After conducting virtual interviews with five external candidates for the coordinator position left vacant by Liam Coen’s departure, Grizzard was next in line for an interview.

Grizzard was hired to work with Coen last year and served as his right-hand man in the passing game. The 34-year-old is highly regarded inside One Buc Place, and Coen recently spoke very highly of his (now former) assistant.

Bucs OC Liam Coen, RB Bucky Irving and pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Corey Perrine/USA Today

“I think, first of all, shoutout to Josh and really the staff in general have done a phenomenal job throughout the whole year,” Coen said when discussing the team’s success on third down, which ranked third in the NFL at 48.3% at the time. “The guys in charge of those areas – Thad Lewis is in charge of the red zone, ‘B-Mac’ (Bryan McClendon) is in charge of two-minute, and ‘Grizz’ happens to be in charge of third downs.

“Their ideas, plays, and thoughts and schemes is what does come to life as what you see on Sunday.”

Grizzard certainly knew what he was doing on third downs this year. Tampa Bay led the league with a 51.1% third down conversion percentage. Even in the team’s playoff loss to the Commanders, the Bucs converted 5-of-9 (55.6%) third downs.

Coen is still early in the process of building his staff in Jacksonville after becoming the team’s head coach late last week, and there’s at least a chance that he wants to bring Grizzard with him. However, the only way he can do that is if it’s a promotion for Grizzard, who is under contract with the Bucs.

That would mean making the young assistant his offensive coordinator, though that would be in title only as Coen confirmed during his introductory press conference with the Jaguars on Monday that he will be calling offensive plays.

If he wants to call plays as a coordinator, Grizzard would obviously have full control if he gets the job with Tampa Bay.

Josh Grizzard Is A Well-Rounded Candidate For The Bucs

Bucs pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs like that Josh Grizzard has experience across the offense. As the pass game coordinator, he worked with all aspects of the Tampa Bay passing game, including the quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends and running backs. Because of that, there’d be some sense of continuity with the offense should the Bucs opt to hire Grizzard.

His diverse offensive background extends beyond his role on Liam Coen’s staff, too. Prior to coming to Tampa Bay, he spent five seasons with the Dolphins, working for both head coaches Brian Flores (2019-21) and Mike McDaniel (2022-23).

After serving as a quality control coach in 2019, Grizzard became Miami’s wide receivers coach from 2020-21. He helped develop Jaylen Waddle, who broke the NFL’s then-rookie-receptions record in 2021 with 104. Waddle also set a current Dolphins rookie record of 1,015 receiving yards.

When McDaniel replaced Flores, Grizzard was moved back to the role of quality control coach in 2022-23 before being hired by Coen in Tampa Bay in 2024. With the Bucs, he oversaw the passing game and third-down offense, both of which were top-five units in the NFL.

The Yale graduate began his coaching career at his alma mater in 2012 as a grad assistant before moving on to Duke as a grad assistant/quality control coach from 2013-16.

Bucs pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The young assistant has gathered plenty of intel and experience from every stop of his coaching journey already, which makes him an intriguing candidate for the Bucs to consider. Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo recently dove deeper into Grizzard’s potential to be Coen’s successor in Tampa Bay. Here’s an excerpt from that article:

“His exposure to different concepts and styles of offense gives him a strong foundation to build an offense that is multiple and less predictable.

Having spent time with Miami head coach Mike McDaniel, who uses 21 personnel (two backs, one tight end) more than almost any other offensive designer in the league, as well as Liam Coen, who was more 11 personnel-heavy, that allowed Grizzard to see the virtues of how to create matchup advantages through the use of player groupings. It also gives him a unique vantage point into how he might try to continue the Bucs’ success with their own unique 21 personnel grouping of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.

By his own admission, a big part of Grizzard’s most recent role has been to look around the NFL to find ways the most dynamic ways to attack defenses by using the latest and most creative ways to give his offense a chance to succeed. Those have been qualities that head coach Todd Bowles has looked for in his last two offensive coordinators. It should give Grizzard a strong opportunity to interview for the now vacant role of offensive coordinator for the Bucs.”

–Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds and Josh Queipo contributed to this story.